Maine's Top 2018 MLB Draft Prospects

1. Jeremy Pena, SS, Maine (BA Rank: 102)4YR • Jr. • 6-0 • 175 • R-R • Braves '15 (39)The son of seven-year major league second baseman Geronimo Pena, Jeremy is a premium defensive shortstop with Maine who is one of the top defensive players in the 2018 draft class. Pena has started every game for the Black Bears throughout his college career and was named to the America East All-Rookie Team in 2016, when he led the team in runs and hit .283/.336/.356 with 11 stolen bases. His hitting has improved since then, and Pena hit .308/.390/.478 with four home runs, five triples and nine doubles through the first 46 games of his junior campaign. However, talk about Pena should start with his defensive ability, as he possesses fantastic defensive actions, loose athleticism and an above-average arm. His above-average running ability helps his range in the infield and also on the bases, where he’s been an efficient base stealer through parts of three seasons. Including his complete freshman and sophomore seasons and 46 games this spring, Pena stole bases with an 85 percent success rate. Offensively, there is work to do, as evidenced by Pena’s .228/.315/.323 slash line in 36 games last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he struck out 30 times to 14 walks with just three extra-base hits. He did make the Cape All-Star team in spite of that line, which speaks to Pena’s defensive ability, which will also get him drafted in spite of a light bat with below-average power.